Oh, friends, I wish you could be here today! We’ve had an explosion of new life on Ten 10 Farm! It’s more than one heart can hold, so I just have to share this with you!

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Two mama ducks were nesting side by side right outside our front door, and this morning, they took their newly hatched babies for a walk around our house!

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I counted 25 ducklings in all! I have no idea if they know whose babies are whose, but one thing I’ve learned about these mama ducks: they know exactly how to care for their babies and don’t need my help. It’s amazing to see their protective and care taking instincts kick right in.

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Farm life has taught us that there will be some loss, but for today, we are rejoicing in the abundance of life! And to think that we still have five more mama ducks sitting on their eggs! Once again, our farm feels so perfectly named: Ten 10 Farm after John 10:10. {I have come that you might have life and have it to the full!}

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Speaking of life, we experienced another kind of abundant life yesterday when our next door neighbors from Houston visited our farm unexpectedly. He was in Nashville for business; she joined him at the very last minute. {Minor miracle considering she had to coordinate childcare for their five boys in only a few hours! And during baseball season no less!} Their arrival felt like a divine appointment. Have you ever experienced that? Where God sends someone at just the right time? I didn’t realize how much we needed that visit until they came.

A visit to our farm usually takes people’s breath away. The animals, the beauty of the land, the historic road that leads to our farm, the feasts my husband prepares, and the invisible but felt presence of the Lord make this a life giving place for sure. But this visit was different. These friends seemed to have come as life givers themselves…bringing even more life to our farm.

As we prayed, laughed, shared stories and feasted together, my heart was full of joy and wonder. I was a mix of tears and chills and giddiness. I remember sitting around our table in Houston almost eight years ago, sharing food and wine, and inviting them to come to a Love and Respect study in our home. They had never done anything like that, but they said yes. And God did the rest. {God can do so much with a yes! He transformed their marriage and family because of that yes.} And now here they were, sitting at our table in Franklin all these years later, breathing new life into our marriage when we needed it most. Only God. We thought we had found our forever home when we moved into our dream house next door to those neighbors. Turns out, we had found forever friends. Only God could write this kind of story!

Much love and life to you today,

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P.S. If your heart needs a life giving farm visit, a Beauty Hunting Retreat might be just the thing, and I’ve got one coming up. It’s about so much more than photography. Sure, I’ll teach you some things, but the best part is the way God comes for your heart in ways I can’t plan or explain. You’ll just have to experience it for yourself!

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{RSVP through the farm website if you’d like to come.}

 

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  • Marjorie Dineen - Oh, what adorable babies! And so many. What a Momma! Welcome spring in all its glory that God has brought and the joy that it has brought to you heart.

    Love, MargieReplyCancel

  • Sherry - Beautiful, touching pictures of all your new babies! I think I have to Pin them all! We do have an awesome God! I love all your stories and photography! Thank you for sharing!ReplyCancel

  • Gracia @ Gracious Offering - Linsey,
    Your photos of the ducklings were simply beautiful…as always! Yes, I can relate to your “divine appointment”…friends that contact us or visit at just the right time. We have friends coming to stay tomorrow night from our years in Alaska…hoping our visit will be sweet and life giving as well. (P.S. We also love the Love and Respect video series…have shared it several times with others). Happy weekend to you and yours!ReplyCancel

  • Sandy - What a beautiful story. I’m so happy your friends were able to spend time with you. What a joy!ReplyCancel

  • Linda - Your duck population is exploding! Wish I could be around to witness these mamas and their babies. I know you enjoyed having your surprise Houston visitors.ReplyCancel

  • katey - Friends like this are the best gift ever. What a wonderful blessing!!!ReplyCancel

  • Dikola - Rejoicing with you!ReplyCancel

  • Julie - I gasped out loud when I saw those precious ducklings following their proud mamas. How exciting! So glad to hear about the special visit from friends… God is so incredibly good and His timing reminds us that He truly works all things together for good for those who love Him!ReplyCancel

  • Ruth - Don’t you love when God parts the clouds and let’s His SON shine. So incredibly happy for you Precious Linsey.ReplyCancel

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Daffodils have come and gone here in Middle Tennessee, but as I look back at these blooms from early March, I see a lesson for our hearts. And I don’t want to miss it. So on this dangerously stormy day in late April, let us behold the daffodil! {As you look at the photos, notice the ground surrounding the blooms.}

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My first memory of delighting in daffodils came in college, right here in Nashville on the Vanderbilt campus. Just when I thought I couldn’t endure another day of dreary winter, the bright green leaves of daffodils would push their way through the brown and barren ground. And then came the sunny yellow blooms, like golden trumpets heralding the arrival of spring. Those happy daffodils beamed at me like faces filled with joy as I walked the paths from class to class. Talk about a rescue for my winter-worn heart!

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One thing is for sure: looking down has never been so beautiful! And it’s beauty out of barrenness if ever I’ve seen it! Do you see the brown, crushed leaves? The hard packed earth? The lack of life and color? Look to the left of the photo above. Do you see how the dead leaves threaten to hide the daffodil from its intended glory? To shroud it from the light?

Behold the daffodil!

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The Bravehearted Beauty is like the daffodil…bravely pushing through the dark until she reaches the light. Courageously lifting her head to the sun {and Son} until her face beams with her intended glory. She fights for life in the midst of barrenness and hunts for beauty in the depths of brokenness.

Oh, brave and beautiful ones, behold the daffodil!

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Sweet friends, I bet you’re braver than you know. I bet you’re more beautiful than you can see. I bet if I could behold you in the midst of your story, I’d see that you are very much like the daffodil: a genuine Bravehearted Beauty! It takes courage to burst forth when the ground of your life looks as uninspiring and unwelcoming as dead, dry leaves. It takes a deeply rooted, internal beauty to shine when everything about your circumstances says life is dark and dreary.

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Be the daffodil today. Be the Bravehearted Beauty that you are. Say yes to life even if doesn’t look like much today. Let your light shine. Let your beauty grow. Let your glory unfold. This is how we really live. I say YES to life with you today!

With all of my brave and beautiful heart,

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P.S. I’m told these daffodils have been blooming on the edges of our road for over 100 years. No one tends to them. They just do their thing year after year. Isn’t that amazing?!?! Talk about lasting beauty!

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  • Gracia @ Gracious Offering - Linsey, what a lovely and encouraging post! Just this morning I read Col. 1:13, “he rescued us from the dominion of darkness…”…the daffodil is one of those signs that winter (and darkness) do end and He brings light and life and beauty to our lives once again. Blessings and continued beauty hunting to you!ReplyCancel

  • Gail - Lindsey… beautifully said and illustrated, but as brave as one may be it is not in our own strength that we will shine. Just as the daffodil doesn’t grow during that lifeless time of the year on its own…God is the source of life and strength and it is through his Word that we find what we need to be brave and to let God’s glory shine in the middle of our brokenness. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18…we fix our eyes on Jesus.

    Thanks for your thoughtful words and beautiful pictures. God has given you a gift.ReplyCancel

  • Val - Thank you for your post Linsey. There are thousands of miles distanced between us at our computers. I stumbled across your post quite by accident, yet it spoke volumes to me. God moves in mysterious ways, His wonders to behold.ReplyCancel

    • Bravehearted Beauty - No accidents in God’s plan, Val. You were meant to be here. 🙂 I love that! And as frustrating and distracting as technology can be, I love that our hearts can connect across thousands of miles. Awesome!ReplyCancel

  • I’ve Hit My Winter Wall » Bravehearted Beauty - […] give up on the light just because you can’t see the sun. Just put your boots on and look for those daffodils to start popping! Because they will burst forth out of barrenness, just as sure as the sun […]ReplyCancel

  • Swinging My Sword At Winter » Bravehearted Beauty - […] Behold the daffodils! […]ReplyCancel

  • The Whispers of the Daffodils » Bravehearted Beauty - […] so powerfully to me last year that I knew I needed some of my own this season. I put a reminder on my calendar so that I […]ReplyCancel

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Happy Friday, Bravehearted Beauties! I only have a few minutes before I chaperone a field trip to Carnton Plantation, but there’s something stirring in my heart for you this morning, so I just have to speak it:

S A Y   Y E S   T O   L I F E   T O D A Y !

When we say yes to life, something shifts inside. Darkness scatters, light breaks through, joy is released, beauty rises, healing happens. I’m convinced that much of my emotional and physical healing over the last few years has come from saying yes to life. {It started here in 2010.} I have to fight for that yes sometimes, but it’s always worth it! The more I say yes to life, the more alive and well I feel.

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This is Buddy’s “yes” to life!

Let’s say YES TO LIFE today! Say yes out loud, say yes in your spirit, say yes with a spontaneous decision, say yes when someone speaks something kind and encouraging over you, say yes to being still or being on fire, say yes to glimpses of glory in everyday life, say yes to beauty in brokenness, say yes to people over projects, say yes to playfulness and messiness, say yes to that dream that keeps tugging at your heart, say yes to the Bravehearted Beauty inside of you, say yes to the truest things about you {who God says you are}, say yes to anything that makes you come alive!

How will you say yes to life today?

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  • Traci Keel - You are so right. I’ve spent the better part of this year liberating myself from the prisons I’ve put myself in. At first I believed that would mean saying no to so many things that needed to be pruned from my daily life, but it turns out that saying yes to things that matter is how we prune the things that don’t. LOVE this.ReplyCancel

  • Amy Avery - Oh how I love how your words are filled with so much love and LIFE! YES! I will say yes to life by going and reading at my daughter’s school this afternoon even though I am not feeling well today (nothing contagious 🙂 ) And I will have a happy heart in doing so! Thank you Linsey for this wonderful post today!ReplyCancel

    • Bravehearted Beauty - That’s a good yes, Amy. I spent so many years not feeling well and not saying yes. (Half living.) It wasn’t until I started saying yes to life that my healing really began. So yes to reading to children today and yes to feeling better!ReplyCancel

  • Lee - My kids have always wanted a puppy. So, I say, YES to LIFE and their CHILDHOOD! We are picking up our new family member tomorrow. I love your words and the wonderful things you are inspiring by your blog.ReplyCancel

  • Cindy Laverty - So true…sometimes we push back so hard and try and control everything that we forget how great and good life in all its complexities is…YES is a powerful word. I’d rather spend my time with YES people!ReplyCancel

  • Shirley@Housepitality Designs - YES…as you said, saying YES, only brings out the Joy from within. Beautiful post!ReplyCancel

  • Amy - My sweet friend…you are speaking life to everyone that reads your words. Your words are life giving truths. Your words bring glory to Him!

    My love to you.ReplyCancel

    • Bravehearted Beauty - Thank you, sweet Amy. Speaking life over others is part of my calling. Desiring to do it more and more…especially in person!ReplyCancel

  • Val - My mood is like our present English weather – grey, wet and damp. Just stumbled across your blog – inspirational. Thank you.ReplyCancel

Introducing our newest farm babies:

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Sweet little lamb sisters.

{I know you’re dying to see pictures, so I’ll save the story for the end.}

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Can you stand it?!?!

Some people get pretty new Easter outfits and baskets full of candy; some people get lambs! {I guess we’re officially farmers when we choose lambs over pretty clothes and candy!} I’ve always had a thing for lambs and sheep, but I never imagined I’d someday have my own! When we were dreaming of life on a farm, all I could envision were chickens. And now here we are with chickens, ducks, livestock guardian dogs, a sheep herding dog, barn cats, lambs and baby turkeys {the turkeys are my husband’s project; the only animal we intend to harvest. Not my thing, so I may not photograph them much}.

Here’s the story: on Good Friday, I thought it would be fun to visit a local sheep farm. Just to see the lambs and learn about sheep in case we wanted to add them to our farm in a year or two. No more newness; time to settle into what we’ve got. But when I saw these sweet little lambs, I couldn’t resist. Not in a “I can’t say no” kind of way. But in a “this just feels right” kind of way. Being around the sheep made me feel alive. And I’m all about saying yes to life these days!

So while my husband was talking with John about tractors, tools and other farm stuff, I was asking Abby if we could buy any of her lambs as pets…thinking she’d tell us next year. And she did at first, but as I watched the lambs, I just had to ask if there was a way we could buy some right now. When she said yes, I looked at the girls, saw their shock and excitement over my spontaneity, then broke the news to JD. I’m sure in that moment he had to wonder who I had become. What happened to the girl who has to overthink everything and talks herself out of most things? What happened to the girl who has a plan, sticks to it and doesn’t embrace unexpected change and newness? Well, I’m not that girl anymore. I’m a Bravehearted Beauty. And I think my family likes it!

As I look back over my life, the craziest decisions I’ve made {saying yes to JD after only knowing him for 2 1/2 months; leaving Enron when my career and earning potential looked so promising; moving to a small farm in Franklin when I thought I’d spend my entire life in Houston} have all been leaps of faith that led to more life. And as my daughter pointed out, when I’m feeling fear that I’ve lost my mind and have gone crazy, I’m usually right where God wants me. He always does something good in that place.

So on Saturday, we said yes to more life and brought these two little lamb sisters home. Hysterical that they rode in the back of the jeep! And here we are, learning as we go. A total crash course in raising sheep! And let me tell you, they are the sweetest things on the planet! When I enter the barnyard, they come leaping and bounding toward me with the sweetest little “maaaaa” sound. They follow me wherever I go and lean into my legs like little children. {I’m dirtier than I’ve ever been, by the way. Another layer of my obsession with cleanliness stripped away!}

Our farm was meant to have sheep. How do I know apart from the deep feeling of peace and joy I felt in my spirit when I saw them? The name of our farm is Ten 10 Farm, after John 10:10. {I have come that you might have life and have it to the full!} When I came home from the sheep farm on Good Friday, I read the entire chapter of John 10 aloud. It’s all about the sheep and the shepherd. So of course we need sheep on Ten 10 Farm!

We think their names are Lily and Lavender. Lily for the Easter Lily, and Lavender because I love all things lavender. {We have dreams of growing it here someday.} Calling out “Lavender” sounds a little funny right now. Though we mostly just call out “girls” and they come running!

Yes to life, my friends. Yes to life!

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  • Dianne - Good for you! They are adorable.ReplyCancel

  • Cindy - Ahhh Linsey…what a glorious story. It’s so full of joy and that makes me so happy for you and your family. Joy…joy…joy! You so deserve it!ReplyCancel

  • Angela - Linsey, I laughed so hard when I read how you went to the sheep farm because you thought it would be “fun”. I knew where this was going and I have to admit that I was a little excited to know that in addition to the beautiful Buddy and Bella photos, I will be seeing precious sheep! I cannot get enough of their sweet faces!
    You know what? I think I enjoy this kind of beauty over an interior design post any day!ReplyCancel

    • Bravehearted Beauty - Angela, what joy to know that you just might be enjoying this kind of beauty even more than the interior design kind. Me, too! Even though I still love beautiful design. There’s just something so LIFE GIVING to this kind of beauty! I have a feeling you’ll see as much of these babies as you do Buddy and Bella.ReplyCancel

  • Amanda - Oh my goodness!!! Oh my goodness gracious! They are so sweet. I am in love. I want to come spend a weekend with you on the farm. I want to be happy, sunkissed, dirty and tired. In one of my latest Bible study lessons, my precious teacher reminded that we are designed for comfort–to be comforted by Him–and he LONGS to comfort us. But he can only comfort us when we’re uncomfortable. And, our flesh longs to be comfortable, not COMFORTED. Be comforted by Him–in all the wondrous glory–as he leads you! Little Lamb Linsey–with love! AReplyCancel

    • Bravehearted Beauty - Sweet friend. I want to be just like these little lambs…trusting my Shepherd for every good and perfect thing. So about that weekend you want to spend here…tell me when!ReplyCancel

  • katey - They are so wonderful. I love them. I love all the wonderful comparisons Christians have to sheep and so to have them and get so see their sweet personalities I am sure you are blessed incredibly everyday. Thanks so much for sharing. kateyReplyCancel

  • Jane B - It is meant to be… ;0)
    Precious!ReplyCancel

  • Lexi - What a BEAUTIFUL post! The lambs are adorable but the LIGHT we can hear in your VOICE is AMAZING! So happy for you and your family to be able to get to experience life to the fullest. Thank you for continuing to share your story with us, it means so much.ReplyCancel

  • Gracia @ Gracious Offering - Linsey,
    So fun to hear the whole story of how the lamb girls became part of your farm! And, I couldn’t be happier about the names you chose:). My favorite “picture” of Jesus is my mind has always been as the shepherd. From infancy, my mother sang “Jesus Tender Shepherd Hear Me, Guide thy little lamb tonight, Throught the darkness be thou near me, keep me safe till morning light” to me almost every night.
    Enjoy your little lambs!ReplyCancel

  • Ruth - Embracing what God has promised. Lambs how DEVINEReplyCancel

  • Amy Avery - Oh Linsey these lambs are so sweet! I love that they are such a tangible symbol of the shepherd and that they have been added to Ten 10 Farm! I believe God gives us these gifts to affirm us and guide us along our faith journey. I love how you are saying “yes” to life! His light shines brightly in you my friend! Have such a wonderful time with these sweet babies!ReplyCancel

  • Wanda wright - I love the photos of your sheep. I’m a Franklin artist and one of my favorite subjects is sheep. I just know I’m going to enjoy your blog.ReplyCancel

  • Amy - All I have to say is how happy I am for you…in so many ways, in so many areas…I am happy for my friend.ReplyCancel

  • paige - oh linsey girl…i LOVELVOELOVE this!!
    saw their image on fb and they’re perfect for ten10!!ReplyCancel

  • To Love Is To Be Vulnerable » Bravehearted Beauty - […] my husband’s project…as in, farm to table}, a surprise puppy, and the unexpected Easter lambs. We said yes to life with every animal we added, and I’ll never regret […]ReplyCancel

If you’re wondering where to find your brave and beautiful life, Easter Sunday is for you. What looked like death and defeat yesterday gives way to new life and glory tomorrow. Sometimes we feel stuck in between, but hold fast, Bravehearted Beauties. Life wins in the end! 

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And that life you want to live? Christ died to give it to you.

Life to the full is yours today.

Happy Easter!

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  • Katey - Happy Easter to you & your family. Blessings. KateyReplyCancel

  • Nicole - {Amen.}
    Happy Easter, Linsey!
    xo,
    NicoleReplyCancel

  • Bonnie Morgan - Gorgeous photos, Linsey! You could go professional!

    Wish you would share your settings and teach us!!! I would pay!

    Have a blessed Easter.

    I really think you could sell your pics to a magazine.ReplyCancel

  • Julie - Beautiful images and words! So thankful that Christ came to give us life… to the full! Thank you for keeping that message in front of us….ReplyCancel

  • Dianne - Happy Easter to you and your sweet family.
    Are the sheep in the picture above yours? So adorable!ReplyCancel

  • Nancy - Happy Easter to you and yours!ReplyCancel

  • Sandra - Best photos I’ve seen of spring and renewal!ReplyCancel

  • Amy - Happy Easter sweet sweet friend! Blessings to you all today.ReplyCancel

  • Designs By Katy - Great message! Love your shots

    http://www.designsbykaty.comReplyCancel

  • Shalene - So beautiful, Linsey!!! I want to come visit those sweet lambs!ReplyCancel